Archbishop Dolan hails 256 new 'Farrell men'

Monsignor Edmund J. Whalen, principal of Monsignor Farrell High School, walks in the procession with Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan at the Oakwood school's graduation. Monsignor Whalen is an alumnus of the school.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, leader
of the Archdiocese of New York, joined these young men in celebrating what they
have achieved and their never ending connection to their high school.

"You can now claim a title that I hear boasted
about everywhere I go," he said to the graduates, recalling the many Farrell alumni that he comes in contact
with.

Archbishop Dolan presented the students with their diplomas. He also presented
dozens of them with awards of achievement in academics, athletics, service and
other activities.

He said, "Thanks be to God for you, the
graduates."

Valedictorian Thomas Donegan told the
crowd that he and his fellow graduates have Farrell to thank for their
transformation from boys to men.

"We are ready to make an impact on
society," said Donegan.

"Remember and honor where you came
from," he said to his fellow graduates.Donegan also told his fellow graduates to
go forth from here with confidence in their religious faith, themselves and
their Farrell brothers.

"You must have confidence in this world,"
he said. "A confident person is always looking forward."

Charles Kamar, 17, of St. George and Jerry Kane, 18, of Dongan Hills were among the 256 graduates at Monsignor Farrell's commencement ceremonies.

Salutatorian Jordan Stark reminded his
fellow graduates that even though they must grow to be adults, they should never
lose the youthful lessons they were taught.

"Those simple and loving messages
we learned as children can always be applied," he said. "There's a child in all
of us that we should never let go of."

He added, "We should try to
maintain these ideals as part of our ever-evolving characters."

Stark also acknowledged his Farrell
brothers in a special way by reading lyrics from Randy Newman's "When I'm Gone."

This 47th commencement marks
Monsignor Whalen's first commencement as principal of Farrell. Having graduated from Farrell in 1976, he still
considers himself a "Farrell brother" and now shares the alumni
title with the graduates.